The AMD RX 7900 GRE: A Smaller Navi 31 Die
The new AMD RX 7900 GRE features a smaller Navi 31 die compared to the 7900 XT and XTX, with the GPU's physical dimensions altered in a way that makes it similar in size to Navi 21 from the RX 6800 and 6900 series. The chip's packaging and PCB are also different from its more premium counterparts, with the new model seemingly tweaked for a more specific purpose.
The GPU manufacturer has made some curious alterations to the RX 7900 GRE, with the GPU seemingly designed specifically for AMD's China-exclusive RDNA3. The changes made by the company indicate a strategic decision to optimize the GPU for specific markets or use cases.
The GPU's packaging has a thinner and re-shaped silver border, resulting in a smaller size. Meanwhile, the PCB is different, with the RX 7900 GRE sporting only eight memory packages compared to twelve. It's possible that AMD removed additional piping from the GRE, which allowed for the shrinkage of the Navi 31 die.
We've seen similar alterations made by companies in the past, with Nvidia's RTX 30 series and RTX 40 series laptops featuring different GPU packaging due to different cooling requirements. It's possible that AMD removed some of the GPU's pipes to improve its thermal performance, which could impact the overclocking potential.
The physical alterations made by AMD are quite unusual, with the company seemingly using the same die for two different GPU models. It could suggest that the RX 7800 series and mobile GPU equivalents will share the same GPU configuration.
